Rustic Ruddy's handmade wood

We're open for business!!! Rustic Ruddy's hand carved wood slices are available for purchase on Etsy. Our wood is great for centerpieces, table numbers or can even be used as a guest book. I would say these are mainly for rustic weddings and events but I have one on our coffee table and my parents have one on their kitchen counter and it looks great as home decor especially in the fall.

Ryan cuts the wood into slices and sands them down. He even burns words into them to make it personal. I take the pictures and run the website. It's crazy how easy these are to make and how much their in demand right now. With just a purchase of a chainsaw there's very little overhead. 

Anyone interested in some wood and mentions FMDTY can get 10% off their order and if you're in the Orlando area I can meet up with you so you don't have to pay for the shipping! We've got plenty :)

Engraved with initals and wedding date

Looks great as a candle holder for mason jars

Big slices are good for multiple candles, cake or lots of mini desserts

Fall mantel 1

This year I've got so many fall mantel ideas that I'm going to be redoing it as much as possible until Christmas. Since fall is my favorite time of year and the decorations are "outdoorsy" and more simple I have a lot more visions. Pine cones, branches and leaves are right outside my front door so when I see something as I'm walking the dogs I start making piles to bring in. (True story; I've currently got a pile of mini pine cones waiting to be brought in.)

I had a gift card to Hobby Lobby that got me the leaves and colorful branches. The little candle holder I got for $1 at Goodwill and I had everything else.

Total cost: $1

Full mantel

Candle holder and fresh pine cones

Real and fake

Center piece on coffee table. Ryan and I will be starting to sell the wood circles on Etsy sometime this week. (Let me know if you would like some!)

Every time I light this candle we want dessert. I had to stop lighting it every night

Tattoo #3

I'm sure many of you are wondering what those coordinates mean that I got tattooed on me the other day. Since today is my birthday and this was my birthday present I figured I'd let you all in on the meaning behind those numbers. I've mentioned my cousins and our trips to Gatlinburg, TN many times on here. But every summer since I was born my cousins and I would stay in my grandfathers chalet in the mountains until I was in 8th or 9th grade. It's where we made up dances to Spice Girls, swam in the community pool and used the sauna, went to Dolly Wood, road go karts, spent our nights in the hot tub and road down the mountain on the alpine slide. Lastly, it's where we made most of our childhood memories.

My grandfather had 4 other siblings who had kids, then they had kids my age. We all live far away from each other so the only times we'd see each other was for a week during the summer. If it wasn't for this location and my grandfather I would not know my cousins. We wouldn't be so close to each other and we wouldn't have been in each other's weddings. For being hundreds of miles apart we still keep in touch and we still make it a point to get together at least once a year since my grandfathers passing so we can keep the memory of Gatlinburg alive.

I know these may just be numbers to you, but to my cousins and I they mean something more. I am honored to wear the coordinates to my grandfathers chalet, it not only reminds me of my childhood summers but it reminds me of the place he help built so it reminds me of him everyday as well.

They are on my side. It didn't hurt as bad as the tattoo I have on the top of my foot

Not just numbers, but a meaning

If you google the coordinates it shows the chalet!

Three

The week started with my parents visiting for my birthday and taking us to see the Blue Man Group. Since kids went back to school this week my sister and I spent a quite afternoon at the lake on Tuesday. I just love going there to relax and jump into the freezing water whenever it gets too hot.

Also, I decorated the first of many fall mantels. More to come on that next week with full pictures.

Allison, Nico, blue man, me and Ryan

Monogram hats are a must on a sunny day at the lake

Top of the mantel 

BB cream

BB, CC and DD creams have been popping up everywhere lately. I decided to do research before hopping on this bandwagon. Kate from The Small Things Blog kept explained everything nice and simple. CC conceal and correct. BB beauty balm and DD disguise and diminish.

I decided to go with BB which primes, hydrates, subtle tint, has SPF and perfects skins finish. It is the first thing I put on followed by foundation. I have been using it for about a month and absolutely love it! Since it's summer and I don't like wearing full make up everyday it's nice to be able to put this on with a little bit of eye liner and still feel comfortable enough to leave the house with barely anything on my face.

I have never had any makeup with SPF in it but I kind of like it. I have been outside pretty frequently the past month so I feel like I'm doing myself a favor in the long run. Not gonna lie, I love the smell of sunscreen. (The smell does go away pretty quickly though.) All and all, great product. It was right under $10 but I've seen many coupons for other brands. Give it a try.

RIP Newton

Our duck, Newton passed away over the weekend :/ He was a cute little rescue who meant no harm. Your not going to believe the way he passed but I'll share anyways. He got stuck in a slipper and Barney (our dog) tried to get him out. He was pawing at it and biting the slipper to get him out but I think he bit his legs because as soon as I got Newton out of the slipper he couldn't walk. He lasted 2 more days after that but he wasn't himself.

Barney was very interested in him, he would stare at him in his tank for hours and try and play with him. When Newton was out running around Barney would run with him, he wasn't sure if he was a friend our a toy so we had to remind him to be gentle. Gizmo (our other dog) could have cared less, he knew that Newton was around but he's an older dog who has lost his hearing and has bad eye sight so he didn't bother with him.

Stare down on the couch

Checking out his new friend

Gizmo eating and Newton drinking out of the dog bowls

Sharing is caring

Springfield 2

While in the parks the other day I visited the newer side of Springfiled, which opened less than 2 weeks ago. Like I mentioned in my previous Simpsons post I don't watch the show so I'm not too familiar with everything there is in this new area, but it's still cool to look at! There are 2 new food places, a taco bus and a donut shop along with a beer garden. There are also many things to get pictures next to and a new ride called "twirl and hurl."

Check it out next time you're at Universal!

Summer hair accessory

On my days off while I'm running errands my favorite go to summer hair accessory has been this huge gray headband. Its' great to keep hair out of your face and perfect for 2nd day hair so you can't see any greasy hair at the roots. My usual way of wearing it includes a bun on the top of my head but I thought I'd mix it up a little and do a fancy french twist. A few bobby pins later and I had transformed my look.

Right side of my head

Left side of my head

Front view

Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner review

Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner is the new rage. The products description according to Ulta, "This rare formula has a centuries-old history of providing natural vitamin E and antioxidants while renewing your hair's cell structure, sealing in shine, and creating lush softness. A precious blend of Moroccan argan oil which instantly penetrates the hair shaft restoring shine and softness while strengthening. Derived from the southwest region of Morocco, argan oil protects from styling heat and UV damage while creating soft, seductive, silky perfection."

I bought the travel sizes at $2.99 each since the 13oz bottles were $7.99 and I wasn't ready to totally invest in the product yet. The first couple of times I used it the next morning I woke up with greasy roots and was pissed because I did read that on the reviews that happened to a lot of people. After watching thesmallthingsblog.com video about having hair feel the same at home after getting a hair cut I learned that if I didn't wash out the conditioner completely that my hair would be nice and soft the next day. It worked! I always feel I need to wash my hair so it is squeaky clean, but it makes sense to leave a little conditioner in it to help with styling for the next day.

I'm still not convinced that I need the bigger bottles, I have shoulder length hair and don't use that much shampoo and conditioner so I think I'll stick to the travel sizes for now and use it a couple times a week, switching between my regular shampoo and conditioner in one.

Note: These bottles are each 2oz. They look much bigger in the picture than in person

The mountain top city in Florida

Mt. Dora is a small little quaint town that's on the water and great for an afternoon out. I love to visit new places and explore what else is around me. This city was very different, Ryan and I both agreed that it was like we had stepped back in time, most of the buildings were built in the 1800's. The downtown are is full of art and specialty shops along with quite a few coffee bars and tons of restaurants. We looked at every one's menus before choosing The Lost Parrot. Most of the restaurants seemed like they were for lunch with the dinner choices being a little upscale and on the water, which would be perfect for a sunset meal.

I did a lot of research on what there was do do in Mt. Dora. What caught my eye was the steam train ride. After reading that it was not air conditioned we decided to wait to try it out when it gets cooler outside. It sounds like fun to enjoy the countryside of Florida.

This town is known for its arts and crafts fair in late October. Their website says over 300,000 people come and visit each year just for this event. One of my favorite fall activities is going to craft fairs so I will defiantly be checking that out. It was a perfect afternoon out, only a 25 minute trip each way.

Old movie theater off the main road

This was hand carved on the bottom of a storefront 

Little shops all connected through a beautiful alley 

Huge houses along the water

Loved the old window covers on the restaurant 

Lake Dora lighthouse 

Old buildings in downtown are now full of restaurants and shops

Loved this sign outside of a bar

Ryan Ruddy, M.S.C.J.

My husband Ryan has done it. He is officially done with grad school! After turning in his last theory paper and receiving an A- he can finally relax and not worry about school (for at least a year.)

3 schools later and a masters in criminal justice from The University of Cincinnati, one of the top online CJ schools is pretty amazing. Lots of hours in the books and many days of staying home and studying have paid off. 

What's next? Focus on work and studying for the GRE. Getting his doctorate is the next goal and I have all the confidence in the world that he can accomplish that too!

Easy homemade dip

I made a combination of spinach & artichoke and guacamole dip the other day. I didn't have all the ingredients for one whole recipe so I mixed the 2 together and came up with something really awesome. Besides the cream cheese for flavor it's pretty healthy.

Ingredients:
cream cheese
artichokes
spinach
avocado

Mix what ever size portions you want in a food processor, blend together until smooth. Pretty easy to make and clean up and is really good for an afternoon snack.

Chips and homemade dip

Sooo good with salty chips

Only thing not pictured: cream cheese

First cup of pumpkin coffee this year

Barnie's officially has pumpkin coffee! While in the mall yesterday I was very tempted to get myself a cup after walking past it several times. I finally decided I'd get a small to try it out. They do not have syrup yet so it was just their coffee poured over ice. I didn't care for it very much or the price of $4. I know all pumpkin should taste the same, but this just didn't taste like my favorite pumpkin flavor...Starbucks.

Oh well, at least I can say I've had my first cup of the season. So that means I can start decorating for fall now right? I've already got ideas in my head and a shelf full of decorations waiting to be put up!

Three

I'm very happy that it is Friday because this is my 11th day of working (between 2 jobs) and I'm ready for a much needed break tomorrow. My plans for the weekend are to relax and get some sun at the springs. As I was walking out of Universal one day this week I got a great panorama of the lagoon and entrance to the parks. Ryan picked up a little duck and he is fitting right in with the family. Newton thinks that he is a dog and follows Barney around and even drinks out of the dogs water bowls.

Finally, yesterday I worked the American Idol Live concert at Amway. I didn't watch one episode of this past season and didn't even know who the winner was. They sang mainly covers so I knew every song. Their performances were not stellar, let's leave it at that.

Entrance into the parks

Newton, the duck

American Idol contestants